A while ago, I remember reading a post about self portraits and the question was posed, “Am I worth documenting?” I have been shooting self-portraits on a regular basis since 2006. I started doing them as a way to learn how to use my DSLR camera and to learn more about seeing and using light to enhance my photography. Last year, a vast majority of the images I took were with my camera phone, and a lot of those images were self-portraits.
Now, going back to that question, “Am I worth documenting?” Yes. We all are. We matter to our children and families and. Documenting your life in pictures reminds you to pause and embrace your life as it is in that one particular moment. You are creating a legacy. My children love looking at pictures and asking questions about who they were when they were babies. They like looking at pictures of me as a little girl. Pictures tell the stories of our lives. Whether good or bad, we are creating stories everyday.
Make sure you take a moment to take a picture. And, you know it is never too late to start some kind of photo project. Remember, photography is not always about perfection, it is about capturing the moment and capturing you. You are worth documenting.
Agreed. Sometimes I get a bit of a feeling when I take or post a lot of selfies that perhaps it’s a bit too…much… but I’m the photographer in my family - if I didn’t take pictures of me, there probably wouldn’t be any. The pictures I take every Friday morning of me with my daughters are some of the only pictures I have of me with them also because I’m always behind the camera.
It is definitely not selfish to take, post or share pictures of yourself. It is a great way to inspire others to do the same. We are too hard on ourselves most times. Love that you take pictures with your girls on Fridays. That is so special, Sarah.
You’ve inspired me to update my old tired photos. Yours are beautiful.
Thank you! And, I am sure your pictures are not old or tired!